Method of manufacturing thin-film photovoltaic module

A method of manufacturing a thin-film photovoltaic module in which a photoelectric conversion element is deposited on a substrate and insulation properties of a peripheral portion of the substrate is ensured,

• the photoelectric conversion element including a first electrode layer, a thin-film photoelectric conversion layer and a second electrode layer stacked in this order,
• the method comprising removing the photoelectric conversion element deposited on the entirety of the substrate at a frame shape area from sides of the substrate toward inside with a predetermined width by performing for each of the sides of the substrate,
• a first removing step of scanning a first photoelectric conversion element removing device along the respective side of the substrate for a plurality of times while shifting the first photoelectric conversion element removing device in a direction that is perpendicular to the respective side every time the first photoelectric conversion element removing device scans along the respective side of the substrate, at the area from the respective side of the substrate toward inside with the predetermined width along the respective side of the substrate to remove the photoelectric conversion element deposited on the substrate for the predetermined width, and
• a second removing step of scanning a second photoelectric conversion element removing device, within the area at which the photoelectric conversion element is removed in the first removing step, along the respective side of the substrate to remove the photoelectric conversion element that is not removed in the first removing step at a width narrower than the predetermined width such that a center line of a scanning path of the second photoelectric conversion element removing device is positioned between two adjacent center lines of two adjacent scanning paths of the first photoelectric conversion element removing device in the first removing step.